20131229 - VK6WI special historic edition of the News

This is Victor Kilo Six Whisky India with NewsWest for the week commencing Sunday December 29, 2013.

Introduction

This is VK6WI with the special Centenary edition of the NewsWest weekly Amateur Radio news for the VK6 Call area. This episode of NewsWest was recorded live yesterday at the Peter Hughes Scout Communication Centre.
There is a considerable amount of material in early 20th century press about Amateur Radio.
Radio Amateurs were also called Radio Experimenters, and early broadcast radio was sometimes referred to as Amateur Radio. Amateurs or Experimenters and broadcasters were often the same people.
In the early part of the 20th century, community activities were far more newsworthy, resulting in a good record of activity in the local and national press. This was the case until the break of World War Two, when Amateur Radio on-air activity was suspended for the duration. After the war, the Australian press appear to have discovered the rest of the world, and local interest items were rarely, if ever, reported on.

We hope you will enjoy the programme. So sit back, relax, and take a walk with us down the logsheet of ten decades.
I’m Bob vk6pop...

And I'm Miles

And I'm Roy

And I'm Wally

And I'm Onno

1913 - 1922

Organised Amateur Radio in VK6 started in a year that began on a Wednesday. There was a General Election in Tasmania, we started building Canberra, Joseph Cook was the 6th Prime Minister of Australia, John Scaddan was in charge of WA. We sent women to the Olympic Games for the first time, elected Edith Cowan to Parliament as the first woman.
The decade goes on to have two referendums on conscription (both rejected), World War I, hotels close at 6pm, the transcontinental railway between Adelaide and Perth is completed and Qantas is founded.

1913

This article is from The Daily News Thursday 18 September 1913, just over 100 years ago
W.A. RADIO CLUB
An enthusiastic and well attended gathering . of persons interested in radio-telegraphy took place at the residence, of Mr. A. Sibly, Park-street,North Perth, on Monday evening, the 15th inst.
After considerable discussion it was decided to form a club,which would be known as the W.A.Radio Club. The following officers were elected: — Chairman, Mr. T. W.Ellison, vice-chairman, Mr. W. E. Coxon, secretary. Mr. G. W. Dean; committee, Messrs. McKail, Coxon, Sibly, Read and MCallum.
The objects of the club will be as follows: —To give the necessary instruction to those who need it. To enable experimenters to visit up-to-date private stations, where they will learn/more,in one hour than would be possible with weeks of book instruction. The imparting of scientific knowledge in the form of lectures by qualified members. A means whereby a member experiencing difficulty over any portion of his instruments can; bring same to the club, and have it tested and improvements shown him. It was also decided that on request being made a member of the committee will visit a private station and offer free advice as to the arrangement that will give the best results according to conditions.
Radio clubs are in existence in all of the most important countries of the Western world, and judging by the keenness displayed here the newly formed Westralian club should flourish.

1923 - 1932

Vegimite is first produced, we hold the first Miss Australia Contest, won by Beryl Mills. Phar Lap wins his first Melbourne Cup, Sir Douglass Mawson charts 4000 miles of the Antarctic coastline and claims 42% for Australia. Bert Hinkler flies from Britain to Australia and Charles Kingsford Smith flies from the United States to Australia; Sir Donald Bradman scores a record 452 not out in one cricket innings and we open the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

1924

The Sunday Times 18 May 1924
WIRELESS INSTITUTE.
At the Wireless institute's. room at the Central Fire Station, Perth, the second.' meeting of the club delegates was held on -May 8.
Representative.from most of the wireless clubs of W.A. were present, and the exceptions were.made up for. by letter-and telegram requesting representatives to be .selected from the gathering.
The correspondence proved to be very interesting, especially some which had been relayed via Mr. Coxon's station, to an Eastern States amateur, and thence to its des-tination, the same procedure taking place for the reply.
The Institute's proposals of affiliation contained three clauses, which after slight alteration and addition, were accepted by all present. It was proposed hy Mr. Botterell Ito call the affiliated body the Committee of Affiliated Radio Societies of W.A.

1930

Wednesday 5th November 1930, The Adelaide Advertiser
RADIO TO THE RESCUE
Experimental radio stations at Sydney and Perth came to the assistance of the Postal Department early on Tuesday after the storms between Melbourne and Adelaide had interrupted telegraphic communication between Western Australia, South Australia, and the eastern States.
A Manly amateur experimenter picked up a Perth amateur, who asked that a message for the Superintendent of Telegraphs, Sydney Office, should be taken. The message was sent, and sub-sequently three long telegraphic messages about the Melbourne Cup were transmitted, and three others received on behalf of the Postal Department.

1930

The Daily News 24 Dec 1930.
Through experimental station VK6WI the radio station of the Wireless Institute in this State, a special Christmas message will be sent to members this evening on a wavelength of approximately 40 metres. A number of musical items will also be given, to which members and listeners may tune in.

1931

The Daily News, Monday March 23, 1931
VK6WI will go on the air on ’phone on Saturday evening, March 28. using the 80-meter band.
This will be a test transmission in preparation of the dissemination of institute news to country members, technical lectures to members and the testing of the set for ‘phone. and demonstration of the principles involved, for members preparing for their A.O.P.C. certificates (of course they meant AOCP, Amateur Radio Operators Certificate of Proficiency).
There will be a transmitter’s meeting held on Thursday next at the residence of Mr. Stan. Ovens, Mt. Lawley.

1933 - 1942

Western Australia votes to secede from the Commonwealth, but everyone ignores the vote. The Black Friday bushfires devestate Victoria, Howard Florey and a team of scientists develop penecillin and we enter World War II. The first flight is made of the Australian made warplane, the Wirraway. The Rats of Tobruk hold fast during the Siege of Tobruk, Darwin is attacked over 100 times, daylight saving is introduced and the last Tasmanian Tiger dies.

1934

The Sunday Times, Sunday 8 April 1934
AMAZING PROGRESS STATE'S DEVELOPMENT IN BROADCASTING
Big Increase in License-holders
Since broadcasting in Western Australia developed from its embryo stage a little more than a decade ago, the progress has continued at an amazing rate in every branch" receiving, transmitting, and manufacturing for trade purposes.
Here there is a photo of MR. HARRY GRAHAM
Who ls the principal announcer at the national station, 6WF. Mr. Graham is also responsible for the production of many radio plays
Radio has ceased to be the preserve of the expert and the experimenter. It has become an Integral part of the domestic life of the community. This is most aptly illustrated by the snowball growth In the number of (broadcast receiver) license holders:
1928 - 3,844 thruogh to 1934 - 26,457
In keeping with this phenomenal spread of wireless sets among the public, there has been a corresponding increase in the broadcasting services. Stations have been equipped with the most up-to-date plant to render adequate service. The Postmaster General's Department, attempting to keep pace with the demand created by the public, replaced the original 6WP plant in 1932 with a completely new installation. Engineers of the research branch of the P.M.G.'s Department designed the plant, which was subsequently manufactured in the departmental workshops. For the new station, a site was chosen on the Wanneroo-road, eight miles fromPerth. Here two towers to suspend the aerial were erected by Johns and Waygood, Ltd. of Melbourne. They are 80ft. high, and support themselves without the assistance of struts .and stays. The national station is on the air almost continuously during the day, and provides an encyclopaedia of Information upon commercial, sporting, meteorological, and news matters, as well as entertainment.
In addition to 6WF, a number of B Class stations have entered the field.
Of these 6ML paved the way in Perth, followed later by 6PR, and last year by 6IX .
As yet, the radio world only stands on the threshold Of this new era, but the progress in this sphere indicates that before long broadcasting-television services will operate throughout the world.

1936

The Daily News Friday 19 June 1936
RADIO -AMATEUR'SSUCCESS
Mr. S. AUSTIN, an Amateur radio experimenter, of South Perth, was last night presented by the president of the Wireless Institute (Mr. C.Brown) with the "West Australian" Cup for the most outstanding work of the year by a local amateur. During one period of 24 hours he communicated with all the continents of the world on 10 metres with low power. The Radio Inspector (Mr. G. A. Scott) is shown seated.

1936

The Daily News Thursday 23 July 1936
Perth Boy Deserts Ear-phones For Stethoscope
Early in 1925, a young Perth boy startled local radio enthusiasts by claiming to have picked up broadcasts from the United States of America.
Subsequent tests proved his contention, and he was acclaimed as one ofthe first, if not the first, radio experimenter in Western Australia to have picked up broadcasts from America. Operating experimental station VK6JW, the 15.1/2 years-old boy astonished Perth with the reception he secured from his home-made set, and his home in Balmoral-street, Victoria Park, was visited by many radio enthusiasts,whose more elaborate apparatus had failed to secure results comparable with those obtained by the boy's homemade station.
Today, that boy has deserted radio, and now listens in with a stethoscope instead of ear-phones. He is Dr. John Watson, M.B., B.S..His medical studies have reflected the same brilliance that characterised him as a radio experimenter.

1936

Daily News, Saturday 14th November 1936, the Evening edition.
“State’s Only Radio Girl”
“State's First Woman Radio Operator”
The first amateur radio operators proficiency certificate to be secured by a woman in Western Australia has been gained by Miss Ruth Longley, of 7 Cuthbert-street, Shenton Park, Miss Longley is just 23 years of age, and is one of the few women in Australia to gain this special certificate issued by the Postmaster-General's Department.
Until early this year she knew as little of the intricacies of radio as the average listener-in. She confessed today that she did not even know then that such a thing as a short wave existed! She became interested in the work of the West Australian branch of the Wireless Institute about Christmas time, and in April decided to seek a proficiency certificate as an amateur operator.
She completed her studies and sat for the examination in October. The time taken for her to complete the course and grain the certificate is regarded in amateur wireless circles as remarkably short. She gained her knowledge of radio at the study classes conducted by the Wireless Institute at the institute's station, VK6WI, King-street, Perth.
She has carried out the editorial duties for the institute's 'Bulletin' for some months. A drapery saleswoman by occupation, Miss Longley does not envision radio as a future career.
She has acquired her knowledge of the subject merely, as she describes it, as an absorbingly interesting hobby. She intends without delay to apply for a station licence and to build her own station set.

1939

Sept 4th 1939, The Argus, Melbourne
NO AMATEUR RADIO
The Director-General of Posts and Telegraphs (Sir Henry Brown) said on Saturday that all wireless experimenters had been instructed to cease operations and to dismantle valves, transformers, tuning coils, operating keys, and microphones from their equipment. In the present circumstances, Sir Henry Brown added, the unauthorised operation of wireless equipment was a very serious offence.

1943 - 1952

Australia wins its first Oscar, Famien Parer is honoured for his documentary "Kokoda Front Line!". Australia becomes a founding member of the United Nations, we hold the first Sydney to Hobart Yacht race, we start building the Snowy Mountans Hydro Electric Scheme, sign the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, sign the ANZUS treaty with the United States and New Zealand and conduct the first Nuclear Test on an Australian Territory, just 130km off the coast of WA on the Montebello Islands.

1946

The Daily News 7 Dec 1946
What is claimed to be the first radio contact with South America from this State on the 10-metre wave-length was made by Subiaco amateur operator Ron Hugo.
This was achieved in the recent long distance competition held by the Wireless Institute of Australia. The set used by Mr. Hugo has an output of power slightly less than that necessary to light an ordinary 50-watt household electric lamp — 'mousepower' compared to that of American amateurs' sets of 1 kilowatt.
Using radio telephone, Mr. Hugo spoke to three South Americanamateur stations in less than an hour on one afternoon. Yesterday, he received a Q.S.L. card, or verification of contact, from one of the men with whom he had spoken.
Said Mr. Hugo today: 'South America is the hardest country to work from Western Australia be cause it is situated above the South Pole. - 'Contact has been made on the 20-metre wave-length, but this is the first time it has been done on 10-metres.'
Mr. Hugo is now qualified to hold the 'Worked All Continents' card. This means that he has spoken to amateurs in Africa, Europe,Australasia, America and South America. Mr. Hugo first became interested in radio in 1923, has been operating his experimental station VK6KW since 1937.
During the war, when amateur radio activity was curtailed, he had to close down.

1949

The West Australian Thursday 17 March 1949.
DAILY RADIO CONTACT WITH ANTARCTIC (By ACK ATKINSON)
Heard Island radio, which was first picked up early in February last year by a Perth amateur ("ham") radio operator, has since been in almost daily contact with Australia and Marion Island, the South African Antarctic weather base 1,500 miles away.
Apart from the occasions of radio blackouts, generally caused by brilliant displays of the Aurora Australis, the ser vice to Australia conducted by Messrs. Lem Macey, of Sydney, Alan Campbell-Drury, of Melbourne, and Arthur Scholes, of Sydney, had four contacts each day with Sydney Radio and in all transmitted or received more than 250,000 words. Before the service began, the men had been engaged in repair ing transmitters damaged during the landing operations and had helped to build the camp. There were no breakdowns during the year.
The initial task of erecting the four 70t. aerial masts, each with ten guy wires, was carried out by Mr. Macey and Mr. Camp bell-Drury. Oil drums filled with heavy stones were used as an chorages for the guy wires after it was found to be inpossible to blast holes in the solid volcanic rock near Atlas Cove camp. During the year It was frequently necessary to climb to the top of the masts to replace halyards and unfoul aerials coated in clear ice. This was far from being a pleasant job in winter with bliz zards raging. The aerial wireswould snap after being covered with a layer of ice. inches thick. This problei has now been cor rected by using heavier wires.
Heard Island is 'an excellent location for "ham" radio transmission and messages were received from all parts of the world, including the Arctic Circle. Communication was maintained with the field party by means of portable radios. These sets pro. vided line of sight communica tions, sometimes extending for miles, and proved invaluable. When the field party would move out of range, the base would keep a listening watch nightly until the party returned to the last point of communication.

1950

The Examiner (Launceston) 29 Dec 1950
“Tasmanian "Hams" Win Again “
TASMANIAN "hams" have won the Remembrance Day trophy of the Wireless Institute of Australia for the second year in succession. Western Australia was the runner-up.
The trophy is offered for annual competition as a memorial to amateur radio operators who lost their lives in the Second World War. It goes to the state team scoring most points for making contact with amateurs in other states during a specified 24 hours.
The Tasmanian team scored 155.9 points, as against Western Australia's 151.5.

1952

The West Australian Thursday 1 May 1952
Amateurs To Get New Air Frequencies
A new band of frequencies be tween 21,000 and 21,450 kilo cycles would be made available from today to amateur radio stations in this country, the Postmaster-General (Mr. An thony) said yesterday. Amateurs would, however, be deprived of frequencies be tween 7,150 and 7,200 kilo cycles and between 14,350 and 14,400 kilocycles, he said. These bands would then be occupied by stations operating in the broadcasting and fixedservices. Similar arrangements were being made by the United States and New Zealand. This would give effect to deci sions reached at a radio con ference in Geneva last December.

1953 - 1962

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip make a Royal Visit, we start Television and host the 16th Summer Olympics in Melbourne. "Pub With No Beer" becomes the first song to get international chart success, thanks to Slim Dusty. The first Rock'n'Roller to hit the national charts is Johnny O'Keefe with "Wild One" and we're introduced to Dame Edna Everage.

1953

Sunday Times 15 Feb 1953, reporting on life on the Cocos Islands. Part of the story relates to an amateur.
Another important post is that of radio technician and this, too, is filled by a Western Australian, Mr. Charles Holman.
He has a staff of two mechanics and, besides radio communication maintenance, is also responsible for the island telephone
service.
At times his duties take him across the lagoon to service the sea air rescue vessels, based at Direction Island.
Mr, Holman is a keen fisherman ; and amateur radioman and, when tim permits, he is always to be found with his wife, son
and daughter at a good fishing spot.

1954

Courier Mail 16 August 1954
TWIDDLED SINCE 1927
This article begins with a photo of a gentleman operating his rig in 1954. The caption says:
VETERAN radio 'ham' Mr. W. A. Young of Ashgrove, sits before his radio set yesterday competing in a nation-wide radio amateurs' contest. Contestants sat at their radio sets for up to 24 hours.
Scottish-born Mr. Young took out his radio amateur licence in 1927. 'That was in the clays of morse code, he said. The amateurs' competi tion, embracing all States and New Guinea, Is held annually to commemorate amateur radio operators who lost their lives during the war. More than 100 Queens land 'hams' were on theair between 6 pm Satur day and 6 pm yesterday, exchanging serial numbersand call signs. STATE v STATE The competition is on a State versus State basis. The trophy is at present held by Western Australia. The winning State is the one whose 'hams' make the greatest number of contacts. Mr. Young, using a port able transmitter, found contacts difficult yester day. He said the bands were crowded out. Now he will begin pre parations for another 24 hour marathon later in 'he year, in which Australian amateurs will contact as manv overseas 'hams' as possible.

1957

The Sputnik Program, more commonly known as "companion", is known to be a group of numerous robotic spacecraft operations launched by the Soviet Union. Sputnik 1, the first of these, is the first known human made object to enter the space. Sputnik 1 was launched into the space on October 4, 1957. The launch laid bare the expediency of the usage of artificial sites for the exploration of upper atmosphere.

1961

Here's a startling fact — more than 70 Amateur Radio satellites have been launched over four decades. The number is astonishing because these sophisticated and groundbreaking spacecraft are little known outside the ham radio fraternity.
In fact, private groups of Amateur Radio operators around the globe have built and sent dozens and dozens of Amateur Radio communications and science satellites to orbit since the first, OSCAR-1, was launched on December 12, 1961. Project OSCAR built the first four hamsats. Then AMSAT was founded in 1969. AMSAT's first flight was OSCAR-5 built by Australian students.
More than a dozen have been launched since the turn of the century. No such thing as a free launch? Over the decades, hamsats often received free rides to space as ballast on U.S., Russian, European and Japanese government rockets that happened to be carrying other commercial or government satellites to orbit. However, with available space over-booked these days, paid tickets usually are required.
The major group involved in space activity is the Radio Amateur Satellite Corporation (AMSAT) headquartered at Washington, D.C. It's membership is composed of volunteer spacecraft designers, builders and operators across America and around the world.

1963 - 1972

The Beatles reach Australia, we sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, we complete the first liver transplant operation, Christo "wraps" Little Bay in Sydney and introduce Talkback Radio. Tasmania is burnt during the Black Tuesday Bushfires. We lift the ban on employing married women in the Commonwealth Public Service, replace the Australian Pound with Dollars and Cents and elect Neville Bonner as the first Aboriginal Member of Parliament.

1973 - 1982

Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Gough Whitlam is dismissed, we open the Sydney Opera House, recognise the People's Republic of China, end the Vietnam war, dismantle the White Australian Policy, proclaim Kakadu National Park and the Great Barrier Reef, give women the right to maternaty leave and congratulate Patrick White as the first Australian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. We drop the voting age from 21 to 18 and recognise Advance Australia Fair as the national song, but not the national anthem.

1983 - 1992

We win the America's Cup, open the National Gallery of Australia, float the Australian Dollar and release Crocodile Dundee. Carmen Lawrence becomes the first female pemier of an Australian State, we host the World Expo in Brisbane, prepare and send troops to the First Gulf War, and pass the Australia Act, making it impossible for the UK to pass any laws for Australia and making the High Court the final court of appeal in Australia. We introduce medicare, replace the one dollar note with a coin and finally make Advance Australia Fair our national Anthem.

1985

Roy VK6XV - Helpline Origins

1993 - 2002

We host the 27th Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, have strikes on the harbour front, hold a referendum on becoming a republic, introduce the GST, list the Astralian Stock Exchange as a public company, making it the first exchange to be listed on an exchange, that's recursive if you're wondering. Thredbo sees a landslide, Bali a bombing, the Tampa Affair, and Port Aurthur massacre. We clone Suzi the calf, and see 19% of Australian households connected to the Internet. We pass a Motion of Reconcilliation signifying both recognition and regret at the past treatments of indigenous Australians. We celebrate 50 years of the Snowy Mountain Scheme, plan the Alice to Darwin train and congratulate Jesse Martin for sailing around the world.

1993deleted

Amateur Radio goes to Somalia
In 1993 Abdi Karim Nur Mahamud (6O0W) in Melbourne, Australia organised the beginning of the Radio Galkayo project with the Melbourne Somalia community in Australia and Sam Voron (VK2BVS, 6O0A) in Sydney, Australia who donated a short wave transmitter.
Abdi Karim Nur Mahamud (6O0W) and Sam Voron (VK2BVS, 6O0A) arrived in Somalia and on 18 August 1993 Radio Galkayo became the first radio broadcast station in North East Somalia. It started on short wave radio with a power of 80 Watts AM on 7.500 MHz and included some English programs for foreigners.
The first staffs were all volunteers who came "off the street."
Only one person had any radio knowledge.
In 1993 Bill Main, VK6ZX at the time, now VK4ZD heard the staff training on the short wave 2 way Amateur Radio Club station call sign 6O0Z, and made contact with them. This resulted in sponsorship by the Rotary Club of Boulder.
In 1993 staff studied in the first Amateur Radio License training course in Galkayo.
Somalia is the first country to allow a national amateur radio organisation to issue amateur radio licenses to qualified persons on behalf of a Government amateur radio licensing authority free of charge and for life.
Bill activated his own Somali callsign, 6O0X together with his wife, Diane (at the time VK6KYL, now VK4KYL), who activated 6O0YL on April 4th, 1997.

1996

Australian Ladies Amateur Radio Association Inc. was founded in July 1975.
In 1996 ALARA's tri-annual ALARAMEET was held in Perth at the end of September. Here is part of the report by Bev VK6DE.
On the friday eveing, 60 people met at Ogden's restaurant at the Gosnells Hotel. We had a room to ourselves, which was good, considering the noise from outside as the evening progressed. The QRM in our room was fairly high too!!
In total 80 people including children, attended all or some part of the ALARAMEET. There were 28 YLs from VK and 14 YLs from overseas.
President of VK6 Division of WIA VK6LZ Cliff, and Secretary VK6ZLZ Christine were also present.
the Federal President of the WIA Neil Penfold, VK6NE and his wife Naomi were Guests of ALARA at dinner.
After dinner WARO (Woman's Amateur Radio Association) represented by Jill ZL2DBO, and NZART represented by Carol ZL2VQ, made presentations to ALARA, with President Christine accepting these and responding with thanks from ALARA.
Elizabeth VE7YL, on behalf of CLARA, (Canadian Ladies Amateur Radio Association) presented Gwen VK3DYL with a plaque which was the # 2 DXCC YL. Gwen has worked 140 YL countries. Elizabeth has plaque # 1.
Tuesday 1st October, 33 (an appropriate number for a YL meet) were on the ferry to Rottnest Island, including the co-ordinator on her first trip to the Island!! 32 took the 2 hour bus tour of the Island, while Geoff VK5TY did the guns and tunnels. A pleasant day with several Quokkas seen. The ferry crossings on the Supercat were good. About 25 went to an Italian restaurant that night.
It seems that most of those attending ALARAMEET 1996 had an enjoyable time.

1997

Wireless Hill Park was classified by the National Trust of Australia in 1992, and listed on the Western Australian Register of Heritage Places in 1997.

1998

1998 saw the beginning of VK Classifieds.com.au

2000

In a previous life, John Tower was the 160m news relay, the proprietor of Tower Communications and was the custodian of the WIA Book Shop until 2000.
John also has another life, that of a Jazz Musician as a member of the group "Grapevine".

2001

2001 was the first Digital TV broadcast in Australia on January 1st broadcasts began in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
The 12th of December 2001 marked 100 years since Marconi's first radio transmission. The ABC gathered together a selection of its most popular presenters and made a live simulcast on all ABC radio networks including Radio Australia. Special event broadcasts were made across the network with various special shows. Once of the special shows was Tony Baldwin presenting 'The Great Marconigram', a two-hour feature celebrating the centenary of Marconi's transatlantic radio link. This includes archive recordings of Marconi addressing a congress of Australian wireless engineers, his recollections of his 1901 transatlantic experiment, and Dame Nellie Melba's radio broadcast for the Marconi Company in 1920.

2012

On the 20th of February 1962 a Mercury-Atlas 6 space craft called "Friendship 7" was launched. In the hot-seat was Astronaut, John Glenn. The objective was to place a man into earth orbit, observe his reactions to the space environment and safely return him to earth to a point where he could be readily found.
During the first orbit of 3, the spacecraft came into radio range of the Muchea Tracking Station where the first Australian Space Radio contact was made by Gerry O'Connor who spoke with John Glenn as he passed overhead.
John Glenn reported that he saw the City of Perth and a very bright light as he overflew Perth and the Kwinana refinery which flared for the occasion.
The event gave Perth the moniker, the City of Light.
Febuary 20th, 2012, 50 years after those 3 orbits, the WA State Records Office, the WA Museum, the City of Perth, ARISS, the Hills Amateur Radio Group and of course NASA are going to celebrate with a public event in the Northbridge Piazza in Perth where around 10 lucky primary and secondary school students will make a public ARISS contact together with web-streaming and other activities, such as a radio telescope, optical telescopes, museum exhibitions, a presentation by the WA Chief Scientist and some others we're working on. I have to say, it helps when there is an amateur at the State Records Office, hi Meg, VK6LUX.

2003 - 2012

Dr Ian Frazer develops a vaccine for cervical cancer, Melbourne hits the highest ever temperature of any Australian Capital city, 46.6 and the Black Saturday Bushfires kill 173 people, injure more than 500 and make 7500 people homeless. We see the longest heatwave recorded in Adelaide, hit Queensland with cyclones and flooding andwin the Cricket World Cup a couple of times, host the Rugby World Cup and the Commonwealth Games, formally apologise to the Stolen Generations and Quentin Bryce becomes the first female Govenor-General. We canonise Mary MacKillop, host the Catholic World Youth Day and introduce a price on Carbon. We elect our first female Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Mark Webber becomes the first Australian since Alan Jones in 1980 to win a Formula One race in Germany.

2004

Until recently in our history, the Wireless Institute of Australia consisted of State Divisions and a Federal Council.
The National body of the Wireless Institute was formed during the first several years of the 21st century.
A National WIA was formed, and on 16 May 2004, the Annual General Meeting adopted a new constitution that established a national organisational structure (seven Directors with individual membership of persons in the national body) versus the former federal arrangement (membership held in state Divisions, and the Divisions having membership of the Federal body).
State Divisions were dissolved, with the exception of Victoria and New South Wales, which were renamed Amateur Radio Victoria and Amateur Radio New South Wales.

2005

On Friday the 21st of October 2005 the first Foundation License was issued to Amanda Gray, VK4FRST. It started the revival of Amateur Radio in Australia. Until it's introduction, the number of amateurs in Australia had been declining, in 2001 there were 15,017 licenses, which had dropped to its lowest point in 2005 when 1000 less licencees were around, only 14,041. Since then, the numbers have increased steadily, by 2010 there were 15,626 licenced Amateurs in Australia. 2011 saw 637 certificates issued, 2012 added another 542, 356 of whom were Foundation Licencees. Today there are 1409 Amateur Licenses in VK6, and about 17,100 in Australia.

Morse

Bye Bye

Credits

Items in this bulletin were sourced from TROVE, the National Library's Archive of Newspapers, Wikipedia, the Historical VK6.net website, originally maintained by Christine VK6ZLZ, Will VK6UU's historic site, contributions from Roy, VK6VX and several other little contributions from individuals and websites.

Outro

There we go. Ten decades of Amateur Radio in Western Australia. As I mentioned in the introduction, and as you should have noticed, there was far more historical Amateur Radio material available in a public forum up until World War Two, and practically nothing afterwards.
This presents a clear message to us. Nobody else is going to chronicle our history, and therefore it’s incumbent on us, the amateurs, to do so. I urge all of you, both individuals and clubs, to write down your recollection of things that happened in Amateur Radio.
Try to include Dates, names, Callsigns and what happened. Whether its a brief outline or a multi page document. Just get it down in writing, and of course electronic text would be fantastic but don’t let that stop you. Hand writing, voice recordings, it’s all history.
We, The NewsWest team, hope you enjoyed our taste of a century of organised amateur radio in VK6. Here’s to the next 100, when NewsWest will be presenting your Amateur Radio news in a super 3d holographic spectacular. But please! Work on recording your history now, or we’ll have nothing to report on.
Meanwhile, stick around for the callbacks. If you miss the callbacks, you can record yours at vk6.net
I’m Bob vk6pop….

Want to listen?

Foundations of Amateur Radio

The "Foundations of Amateur Radio" segment that was broadcast by Onno VK6FLAB on WA Amateur Radio News can now be found at http://ftroop.vk6flab.com/, or on iTunes.

Join the Team!

If you're interested in participating in the production of the news you can get in touch with the team. We'll walk you through the process, show you how to create quality audio, help you write scripts and produce the amateur radio news for vk6.